Google searches for "Price of bread in China" are referring people to this blog more and more frequently, so I'm going to take a moment out for an off-topic post that will hopefully provide some insight into that question. First I'll explain why it's actually the wrong question to ask, and then I'll take two different cracks at answering it anyway for those of you who are still curious.
It is my experience that usually, when someone refers to the price of bread, it's an example of the rhetorical device synecdoche. Thus, to just look at one example, when Berio writes in his Sinfonia that the piece of music can't stop the wars or lower the price of bread, it is simply meant to stand in for food in general. The device works because bread is a staple food in Europe and plays a very prominent role in the diet. Even if meat is too expensive, you fall back on bread.
China has a very different dietary model, however. Baked goods do not play a large role in the diet, and bread is not regularly eaten by the average Chinese person. Instead, depending on the region, rice and noodles fill that role. If you're interested in using one item to stand for the entire Chinese diet, I suggest considering the cost of rice instead. To consider the price of bread in China is like looking at the price of corn in England -- not particularly relevant or helpful.
So, then, how much does food cost in China? It's a huge, economically diverse country, so there isn't a nice, simple answer. It's a lot more expensive in Shanghai than it is Gansu, for example, where you can get a good meal for 3 yuan. Just as a hamburger in New York will cost you a lot more than the same burger in Kansas, specific prices vary wildly throughout the country. That said, my understanding is that the uncharacteristically snowy winter has put a lot of pressure on food supplies throughout the entire country, so food is becoming more expensive everywhere.
And even though I just explained why the price of bread in China isn't relevant, I'll tell you about it anyway. For the reasons I just outlined, bread tends to be very expensive and low in quality. For whatever reason, the domestic bread producers like to put a lot of sugar in the bread. I have no idea what they leave out, but it tastes sweet and has a somewhat chalky texture. It could perhaps make a serviceable piece of toast provided you use enough jam. I preferred yoghurt, fruit, or eggs for breakfast.
There is one institution that ironically provides a decent loaf of bread for cheap. In my experience, the European-owned supermarkets that feature a variety of imported foods could bake a decent French- or Italian-style loaf, for about a third of the price of the terrible packaged bread.
Edit 4/16: PRI's The World on the topic of Chinese food prices
2.27.2008
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Just happened upon your blog and thought your article was interesting. I was talking to an American citizen who was born in China about the Chinese versus American economies and I got curious about life in China. China has a massive unskilled labor force and I wondered how much an average Chinese citizen might earn, translated to US dollars, at a typical, generic factory. From what I can gather, it is around 15 to 20 dollars a day, and that's being generous. Of course, just like you pointed out with bread prices/food prices, a lot might depend on the workers location or specific job title, but $300-$400/mos. seems to be at least a starting point. These are figures I found in a NYT article (Feb 2012) regarding a Foxcomm plant in China. I also found some information regarding the cost of living in China versus the US. You could argue that you have at least twice the purchasing power in China as you do here in the US. For arguments sake, lets say you have 3X's the purchasing power. That would translate to 900-1200 dollar per month compensation for factory work in China.
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